1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the securement of wheeled vehicles upon a transporting conveyance such as a truck, trailer, ship or rail car, and more particularly concerns apparatus for engaging at least one wheel of said wheeled vehicle to achieve immobilization of said vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the transportation of wheeled vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles (ATV), and working vehicles such as tractors, said vehicles are generally driven under their own power onto a transporting conveyance such as a truck, trailer, ship or rail car, and secured to the conveyance so as to achieve immobilization during said transportation. Because the wheeled nature of said vehicles is conducive to rolling movement, it is generally sought to engage the wheels in a manner to prevent their rotative movement.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,347 to Bullock discloses a wheel restraining cleat and strap for use with a pair of wheel chocks to anchor a vehicle wheel to a supporting surface of a transporting vehicle. Although effective, the Bullock apparatus requires considerable manipulation. Also, the wheels of the transported vehicle must be precisely positioned with respect to the securing apparatus which is immovably attached to the supporting surface. The Bullock securing apparatus also occupies considerable space on the supporting surface, even when not in use, thereby diminishing the usefulness of the support surface for other cargo-handling functions.
Other devices for securing the wheels of transported vehicles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,549,231; 5,540,540; and 5,4176,203. In general, such devices are tailored to the needs of specific transported vehicles, particular tire sizes or specialized manner of transport, and most require considerable manipulative effort.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for securing a wheeled vehicle to a support surface of a transporting conveyance.
It is another object of this invention to provide securing apparatus as in the foregoing object which immobilizes at least one wheel of said wheeled vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide securing apparatus of the aforesaid nature which is, easily deployed from a storage state to an active state which achieves engagement with said wheel.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide securing apparatus of the aforesaid nature which, in its storage state minimally affects the general usefulness of said support surface.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide securing apparatus of the aforesaid nature which accommodates without adjustment wheels of various diameters.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide securing apparatus of the aforesaid nature which can be easily adjusted to accommodate wheels of significantly varied widths.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide securing apparatus of the aforesaid nature of simple, durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture and easy installation onto said support surface.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.